Shortest Day
by vts
Summary: Shizune watches Sakura grow as Tsunade's apprentice. Memories of a less than stellar introduction, pig troubles, training, and a wonderful celebration. Somehow, it'll all be worth it. [ShizuSaku, InoSaku, implied TsunaShizu]


**A/N: **Written for the Naruto Yurithon over at LiveJournal. I never expected to churn out anything this long. It just kind of happened.  
**Warnings:** Femmeslash (both implied and physical), some underage drinking, a curse word or two, brief nudity(?) Pairings are ShizuneSakura, InoSakura, and some TsunadeShizune if you squint.

---

There are times when a person wakes up and immediately realizes that it's going to be a bad day. Well, not necessarily _bad_ - more like a feeling, followed by a conscious thought: "Whatever plans I had today aren't going to work out, are they?" For the ones who like to be meticulously organized, the feeling is usually bizarre, leading to suppressed panic followed by casual dismissal. For those who like to "live in the moment," so to speak, it's nothing unusual.

Shizune used to be one of the former. When Tsunade first took her in, she would usually be the one who would creepy into her teacher's room in the morning, tip-toeing over fallen sake bottles to try and wake her up. "Tsunade-sama, it's time to train," she'd whisper, and Tsunade would usually groan and roll over. She got her training and abilities in the end, but somewhere along the line she had found that yelling was much more effective than shouting. Then "training" turned to "shopping", but anybody who's even remotely heard of "The Legendary Sucker" probably knows how far _those_ plans went.

However, this was different. When Shizune woke up to find Tsunade gently shaking her back and forth, it either meant one of three things: extra-heavy-duty training that would leave her dazed and confused for days; the-debt-collectors-are-coming, come-on-let's-go, we-have-to-get-out-of-here; or some miscellaneous event that was either tragic or exciting and would probably bother her.

Today was one of the third.

"Tsunade-sama," Shizune moaned, and shielded her eyes with one hand as the Hokage pulled up the blinds on a window, "what's going on?"

Tsunade turned from the window towards Shizune, put her hands on her hips, and smirked. "Do you know what today is?"

Shizune yawned and rubbed her eyes. "No, I don't. Is it something important?" From her own bed, Ton-Ton rose her head and blinked wearily before giving a low snort.

"How long has it been since Sakura joined us?"

There was a long moment of silence; Shizune stared groggily before she comprehended. "Oh, that's right! It's been two years, hasn't it?"

Tsunade nodded. "We should have a surprise celebration, shouldn't we? I think it'd be pretty hard to beat out last year's, though."

Shizune, who had risen from her bed, cringed inwardly and pretended she didn't hear that last remark. Ton-Ton, however, had risen energetically and looked ready for command. "Well," Shizune began, "I thought you had more paperwork to do, Tsunade-sama?"

"It'll get done," Tsunade replied, shrugging. "I'd like the three of us to do something fun together, for once."

"Unlike last year, when we pretty much worked her to the bone?"

"Which was pretty much your doing, by the way."

Shizune narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything; Tsunade was right. She let her rue go and sighed in defeat. "So, what were you planning for her?"

"You'll see." Tsunade gave a cryptic smile and turned to leave, but looked back. "By the way, I'd like you to wake her up and keep her occupied while I set things up. Can you do that?"

Shizune nodded, and Ton-Ton trotted before her feet, looking eager.

"I'm counting on you. This is practically our own holiday."

---

When Tsunade had first introduced Sakura to Shizune, Shizune wasn't quite sure what to think.

"Um, hi. My name is Sakura Haruno. It's a pleasure to meet you." She bowed, hands folded in front of her.

"She's somewhat shy, but she has immense potential to become a skilled medicnin," Tsunade explained. "I've been told that she has excellent chakra control."

"I'm not _that_ shy," Sakura replied, restraining an awkward grin and looking at Shizune.

_No, you're not,_ Shizune thought. Though Sakura appeared a bit reserved, there was something in her eyes that Shizune recognized, a hidden fire that she had witnessed Tsunade radiating during her fight with Orochimaru. It was a confidence normally restrained, but she could see slight hints of it in subtle ways -- the way she stood up straight with perfect eye contact, arms hanging at her sides.

_I think I was like that once._

Shizune attempted a welcoming smile. "It's nice to meet you, Sakura. So, what brought you to Tsunade-sama?"

"Strength. I saw how powerful she was, and I was simply awed. I thought that I could learn from her -- Kakashi-sensei said that we'd be compatible."

She was sincere. Shizune nodded; that force was beginning to become apparent. "Why do you want to become stronger?"

"For them -- my teammates, I mean. I feel like I'm useless sometimes, and I'd really like to help them, especially to bring him back."

"Sasuke?"

Sakura nodded.

_I see Tsunade-sama wants her to succeed where she had failed..._ Shizune glanced at her before looking back at the new apprentice. "I take it you know it won't be easy?"

"I understand, Shizune-san, but I will pull through."

Kids these days were so stubborn. "Good luck," Shizune replied, only then realizing how distant she sounded and hoping that it didn't leak through. However, a look from Tsunade let her know exactly how obvious it was.

It wasn't at all.

---

As promised, the training was relentless. Sakura had spent many a sleepless night in the clinic, aching from several strategically placed blows. Shizune would treat her, using just the right amount of medication to soothe her patient's wounds. Over a period of six months, she had witnessed a series of transformations that signified the end of Sakura's life as a girl and the beginning of the limbo known as adolescence.

Shizune saw herself noticing small, seemingly insignificant things: how Sakura's hands went from soft to calloused to rough, and how she was doing everything in her power to spend less time lying in a hospital bed and more time pushing herself to a new limit.

Shizune herself taught her a few things, like conserving chakra wisely, easy ways to avoid getting her vitals wounded, a smidgeon of basic acupuncture. "You'll learn all of this from Tsunade-sama one day," she told her, "but I thought that maybe you'd like to know a little about it now."

"Thank you," Sakura replied, trying to sound eager despite her confinement. "I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome."

Eventually, the aloof qualities of their first meeting melted away. Short snippets of conversation turned to friendly chats about the world and the people around them.

"Have you talked to any of your friends lately?"

"Shizune-san, you should know that I haven't! I did see Ino-pig a few times while doing errands for Tsunade-sama, though. That was nice."

"Ino...pig?"

"You didn't know about that? I've been talking a lot less than I thought, then."

"Why do you call her that?"

"Because she's just like one! No offense to Ton-Ton, of course." She giggled, then stopped. "Ow, it hurts to laugh."

"It will for a while."

"Give me a break! I haven't done that in a while."

"It is a nice feeling, isn't it?"

And it was. However, the training only got more grueling, and hopes of getting to know each other better during these nightly sessions quickly withered away.

One night, when Sakura lay sleeping and bandaged in her usual cot, somebody knocked on the door. Shizune rose from her bedside vigil, Ton-Ton in hand, and answered.

A girl about Sakura's age stood before her. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and she looked at Shizune with surprise. "Oh, hello. I heard that Sakura was here. Is that true?"

"Yes, but she's sleeping right now. What do you want?"

"Oh, I just wanted to give this to her." The girl held up a small, square-shaped package wrapped in bright paper.

"Ino Yamanaka, I presume?"

"How did you know?"

"I had a hunch. You can come in, if you want."

Ino accepted, smiling at Ton-Ton before walking towards the sleeping Sakura. Shizune closed the door behind her and followed.

Once she reached the cot, Sakura stirred and opened one eye. "Ino...?"

"Hey, forehead-girl. Happy birthday." Ino plopped the package in her lap, to which Sakura rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out.

Shizune looked at Sakura, surprised. "It's your birthday?"

"Was, anyway," Ino replied, glancing at a nearby clock. "It's March 29th now. Our girl is officially fourteen."

"Really," Sakura yawned, blinking lazily. "I didn't know." With that, she rolled on her side, and started snoring seconds later.

Ino snickered. "I was gonna tell her that a delivery bird sent this from Naruto, but I guess it's too late now." She took the letter out of her pocket and handed it to Shizune. "Can you give this to her, please? And make sure she doesn't open her present while I'm in the room."

Shizune nodded. "Sure. I don't think there's any chance of her waking up again soon, anyway."

"Okay." Ino turned to leave, but hesitated. "Oh, and before I go, I should probably do this."

"Do what?"

Ino walked over to the right side of Sakura's cot, leaned over, and kissed her forehead. She stood upright immediately, looking somewhat stiff, but she didn't seem nervous at all. "There. By the way, you didn't see anything."

"I didn't?" Shizune replied, confused. Did she just -- ?

"Anyway, thanks for letting me come in. You seem really nice; I can see why Sakura likes you."

"Well, I suppose --"

"I have to go now. I'll see you later, maybe." Ino kneeled to scratch Ton-Ton behind the ears, then opened the door and left without another word.

Shizune sat, her face and thoughts blank. So _that_ was Ino Yamanaka... she obviously hadn't had enough sleep. She yawned and closed her eyes.

The next morning, Sakura woke up to find the letter and the box both sitting on top of her. She looked to her right and found Shizune slumped in her seat, chin to her chest. She shook her head and opened up the letter.

The sound of ripping paper woke Shizune up instantly. "Who -- oh, Sakura, you're awake."

Sakura gazed at the letter a few seconds before speaking. "Naruto's helping write Jiraiya-san's novels now? What makes him think that I want one?" She sighed, but carefully folded the letter and slid it neatly inside its envelope.

Next came the box. The wrapping was easy enough to get off, but the box was sealed tightly shut with tape. Sakura struggled: "Why -- would -- she -- _do -- this -- !"_ and finally, the box itself tore apart. Three purple flowers fell into her lap, followed by a small red ribbon.

Sakura froze, rendered speechless. Her eyes traced the shapes of the flowers - then, slowly, she picked up the ribbon. A few moments later, she sighed. "Stupid Ino-pig," she whispered, and lay her head back on the pillow.

Shizune wanted to comment, but decided against it; it was probably better not to ask. However, when Ton-Ton jumped on Sakura and lunged for the flowers, it was only appropriate to hold her back.

---

A medicnin should be well-versed in the art of healing and antidotes, but must learn -- and harbor -- some of the deadliest techniques as well. Shizune is no stranger to this; with all her herbal remedies lie toxins, and it's all too easy to catch an enemy unaware by posing as a helping hand. It's simple, and tempting, to give him just the right amount of painkiller to be lethal. Or, if one was a sadist, to give him a dose of poison that would slowly blind him, then impair his judgment, sometimes making him go into a frenzied bloodlust -- to spiral our of control and kill his teammates, winding up writhing on the ground afterward with his nerves on fire.

Tsunade is, quite possibly, one of the most knowledgeable of all. She is appropriately feared. Shizune has seen why for herself.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?"

The Hokage looked up from her desk, shuffling a pile of signed documents and pushing them over to one side. "It's been exactly one year since Sakura's been with us."

Shizune flinched. "Indeed. What would you like me to do?"

Tsunade put her elbows on the desk, resting her chin over her folded hands. "Do you recall what happened when you were with me for that long?"

Shizune nodded. It was hard to forget.

"I think she's ready," Tsunade continued. She smirked lazily. "You know where to find it."

"Tsunade-sama, I'm not quite sure if I --"

"Trust her? Shizune, I doubt that I had entirely when I subjected myself to it. However, she seems to be taken with you, much like you were with me at that age. She's a very determined girl; I know she'll pull through for you like you did for me."

So it was settled.

When Shizune entered the training field, Sakura was already there, dressed in her new training attire of a zip-up top and shorts. Ton-Ton ran to greet her, and Sakura welcomed her happily. Shizune took a deep breath and explained things -- "Tsunade-sama has more paperwork than usual to fill out today, and I think she's still recovering from a hangover, to boot, so I hope you don't mind me filling in for her." -- and tried to ignore the onset of a small headache as she performed an elementary genjutsu.

A light drizzle sprinkled the ground when Sakura shattered through the illusion easily. Ton-Ton watched eagerly from the sidelines as Shizune performed a Shadow Clone Jutsu. One body turned into three turned into six... Three of them leaped for Sakura, triangulating around her. Sakura turned around and took out the one behind her; wet dust arose from where the clone hit the ground before it disappeared. She then twirled swiftly around and kicked one into the other. One made brutal contact with the ground and disappeared, but its kin used its bounce as a rebound, sprung away, and landed behind the three others. Another took off and sprayed a mouthful of needles down at Sakura, who rolled out of harm's way while another joined the fray.

When Shizune was down to three clones, the headache had worsened. At two, every muscle in her seemed to be aching; when she had one left, it was tolling to even attempt to conceal her identity. The rain was falling harder now, with low thunder echoing above them, but they still persevered. Weather was never enough to stop someone like Sakura from getting a day's work done.

Unfortunately for Shizune, her coordination was failing her. A wobble to the left -- something that she was sure would go unnoticed -- caught the attention of Sakura's keen eyes. It didn't help that Shizune's vision had gone blurry at this point; but even so, she cursed herself long after the younger apprentice punched her square in the jaw, driving her backwards head-first into the mud.

She should've seen it coming.

"Oh, Shizune-san, are you all right?" Sakura came running, kicking up much with her boots. "I didn't think you'd be so affected by that!"

"No, no, you had the right idea," Shizune whispered hoarsely. She sat up and coughed into her hand; she didn't even have to look to know that she was coughing up blood. A squeal came from her right, and she turned her head only to have Ton-Ton nudge her with concern.

Shizune felt a cool hand on her head, followed by a gasp. "You're burning up! Shizune-san, what's the matter...?"

Shizune lay her head back down and glanced at Sakura briefly before closing her eyes. "I wonder if I trembled that much when I did this..."

"Shizune-san?"

"It tasted awful..."

"Shizune-san!"

Yes, it did. Was this how Tsunade-sama felt when she mixed it into her sake, clear and innocent and bitter? _Did she really think I'd save her? I thought that she was insane, but maybe all medicnin are senile at early ages. That would make sense, actually. Poor Sakura..._

"Shizune-san, can you hear me!"

Numbness, comfort, and floating away. _Am I even afraid of dying?_

"Shizune-san, have you ever been in love?"

They were shopping at a local perfume store. Everything was on sale; the entire area was an assault of aromas, from vanilla to chocolate to strawberry. Shizune looked up from sampling the rose bottle to look at her companion. She blinked, suspicious: "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason." Sakura shrugged and tested another bottle, only to cringe at the unfortunate mixture of scents. "Just curiosity."

Shizune put back the bottle and rubbed her wrist. "I don't think so, actually. I've had crushes when I was young, of course, but nothing really recent." _It would get in the way,_ she thought, but didn't voice it.

Sakura gave her an understanding look, but turned to gaze at the store around her. Then, after watching a gaggle of girls glare over the last bottle of a certain brand, said, "It can be useful, though, when you think about it."

"How so?"

"It's just something to fall back on when you don't have anything else, I guess. It's something that makes you feel nice... or horrible, if it goes wrong."

"So can sex, but that seems something to be less proud of."

"Shizune-san, what brought this on?" Sakura asked slyly. "It's not like you to just bring these things up out of the blue."

"It wasn't out of the blue at all. I was trying to make a point."

"Are you still a virgin?"

"Sakura, I'm _twenty-nine._ What do you think?"

Sakura blinked. "Well, if you're so defensive about it, then -- oh, hello, Tsunade-sama!"

Shizune turned abruptly to see the Fifth Hokage enter the store and swore mentally. Tsunade's face lit up at the sight of her two apprentices, and she grinned and sauntered over. "What a surprise to see you two here! It's nice to see you bonding, actually. I was worried that you two would have a bit of friction..."

"We were just talking about Shizune-san's virginity," Sakura announced smugly.

"What?"

"Oh, I have several stories about that," Tsunade replied. "Like the time when --"

"Tsunade-sama, at least I'm not the one who was stashing away my lingerie so messily the other night!"

"But I had nowhere else to put it!" two voices chorused in unison. Sakura and Tsunade stopped, then looked at each other in shock. "I thought she was talking about _you!_"

Shizune couldn't hide her grin.

The shop whirled in a blur of colors, browns and reds and whites and gold. Shizune found herself in front of Tsunade, who was lying prostrate on the ground, unconscious. Her chest heaved up and down out of her effort to breathe. Sweat trickled down her face. Shizune told herself, "Dan, somebody, give me strength... Tsunade-sama, wake up!" She settled her young, shaking hands above Tsunade's torso and focused her chakra -- seemed to see _through _Tsunade's skin to the blood vessels and the poison running through them -- and willed it to a center. _Don't kill her, please, _she prayed, and watched in amazement as it collected itself between her palms.

A gasp, a shudder, and then light.

Shizune awoke with a start, a slurred name on her lips. She squinted, somehow unaccustomed to the brightness of a cloudy daytime. Her eyes focused gradually, and she could recognize the outline of a figure beside her. It was Sakura, shaking frightfully; a glowing light was between her hands, and a clear sphere of liquid pulsed inside. "Shizune-san..."

"Where's Ton-Ton?" Shizune's voice cracked. Her throat seemed dry and scratchy; she swallowed.

"She just came back." As if in reply to her question, Ton-Ton trotted up beside Sakura, one bowl in her mouth and another on her back. She placed one on the ground, and Sakura carefully dropped the poison inside. She sighed. "Now for an antidote..."

Shizune opened her mouth to speak, but Sakura shook her head. "You really shouldn't talk. It would just strain you further."

"Look who's talking," Shizune whispered, closed her eyes again, and shivered. It had just occurred to her that her kimono was open, and her mesh shirt had been sliced down the middle. _Of course. She had to make an incision somewhere around that area, hadn't she?_

"I think I took out enough so that it wouldn't kill you," Sakura breathed.

"Don't say 'I think', please," Shizune attempted to scold. "It makes me doubt it."

"Well, I _know_ I just told you not to talk."

Touché.

"Ton-Ton, these are the ingredients I need you to get for me. Please hurry up and bring them to me in any way possible." Sakura took the bowl off Ton-Ton's back, who gave her a loving headbutt before scampering off. Sakura leaned back and put a hand up to her forehead, groaning angrily for a few seconds before removing it and looking down at her teacher-turned-patient. "I guess I should apologize for ruining your shirt."

Shizune shook her head.

"But really, why would you do that? That's crazy! What if I wasn't able to do that, and --"

Shizune frowned and shook her head again. Sakura paused before continuing. "Anyway, Ton-Ton's probably going to bring some other medicnin with a stretcher to bring you into the clinic. I just have to make the antidote so that they'll know what they have to deal with if they see it again."

"They won't see it again unless you decide to use it as training on _your_ apprentice," Shizune replied.

"I never will."

"That's what I said, too."

Sakura scowled. "Oh, really."

"They won't come, either." Shizune gulped. "Tsunade-sama's orders."

Sakura froze. Her breathing hitched, but instead of panicking, she placed her hand on Shizune's forehead. She mumbled something about Shizune's fever having gone down before Ton-Ton came back with a pestle, bowl, and herbs. Sakura ground them quickly and in silence. A short time after, she mixed the ground herbs with the rainwater collecting in another bowl and stirred; then, she placed the pestle aside and concentrated her chakra, enough to boil the mixture for two minutes. Pleased with her results, she lifted Shizune's chin up and held the antidote bowl up to her lips. "This probably won't taste very good."

"I've had worse," Shizune muttered before Sakura tipped the liquid into her mouth. After the bowl was pulled away, she made a face. "Or so I thought."

Sakura set the bowl aside and gave her a quick glance, then unzipped her own jacket and lay it over Shizune's chest. Shizune flushed, not quite sure why she was embarrassed. However, Sakura seemed to catch on and looked around warily. "Now we wait for an hour and hope that no guys come around."

Shizune rolled her eyes. "Did Ino buy you that bra, too?"

"S- shut up."

Shizune smirked, but that faded quickly when she realized the state she was in. "Sakura, you look like you're about to pass out!"

"I'm not the one who swallowed the poison _on purpose --_"

"Your teeth are chattering."

"But I have to watch for any side effects of the antidote!"

"Sakura, as your substitute instructor, I have to look out for the well-being of my student." Shizune started getting up, clutching her temporary blanket to her chest. "At the moment, you look to be in worse shape than I am, so --"

Sakura leaned forward and pinned Shizune's arms down in the mud. "Shizune-san, you just nearly _died. _You need attention far more than I do."

Shizune summoned up the strength to wrestle her arms free of Sakura's grasp and push her off, which was surprisingly easy. "Sakura, you can't even properly preserve the chakra in your arms anymore!" She sat upright, convinced that her breath was coming back to her. "We'll both get to the clinic and get ourselves a good amount of sleep." With great difficulty, she stood up.

Sakura glared up at her and stood up herself, but swayed, obviously dizzy. Shizune stepped forward to try and help her...

...and lost her balance. She fell into Sakura, and both ended up back where they started: the mud.

"Ow," Sakura mumbled. "That was brillliant, Shizune-san."

"I apologize -- oh, wait."

"What?"

Shizune tried to shush her, but it was too late. There were two loud pops in the air, and two jounin stood a couple of feet away.

_Shit._

"Now, Kakashi, my hip and eternal rival, a new challenge awaits us! The score still stands at 341 to 342, with you in the lead, but that certainly won't last for too long."

"Get off!" Sakura whispered through clenched teeth.

"I'm trying!" It was true. Unfortunately, Shizune's limbs felt like weights, and the mud was slippery.

Then, a sound made them freeze. Ton-Ton, ever helpful, probably realized that the two girls beside her weren't in the best state of health. They obviously needed help.

Help had certainly arrived, and oinking loudly would definitely attract attention.

"Whoever finishes running eight hundred laps around this training field on their hands will -- oh, what's going on here?" Gai turned to look at the source of the sudden noise. Shizune had finally managed to get off Sakura, and looked directly at Gai.

"Unfortunately, our chakra levels are quite depleted right now due to immense training. Could you help us get to the clinic?" Shizune asked.

"...Well," Gai started, "I suppose if you're _that_ worn out, then..."

"Shizune-_san,_" Sakura growled angrily, and Shizune felt something land in her hands.

It was Sakura's top -- what Sakura had given Shizune to make up for the soaked kimono and torn shirt.

"It's not what you think!" Shizune cried out, covering herself up.

"No, it's not," Kakashi mused. "Sakura's much too discreet to be an exhibitionist. Gai, they obviously need rest and shelter."

"I'm already on it," Gai replied chivalrously.

"Kakashi-sensei, I hate you," Sakura grumbled as she was scooped up. Kakashi didn't reply.

Tsunade never let them hear the end of it.

---

Surprisingly, for Shizune, the day ran smoothly. She had a steaming cup of tea before going to Sakura's house, where Sakumo opened the door to greet her.

("Oh, you must be Shizune! I've always seen you, but I've never really been able to talk to you before. Sakura loves talking about you, and her training must be difficult – but with the Hokage, so it _must_ be useful. She's so lucky, and you're lucky to be close to the Godaime all this time. What's it like?"

"Well…")

After Sakura left with her, the two wandered town, stopping at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar to have a quick snack. Ino was there, which surprised the both of them, and she seemed equally surprised to see them.

("Wow, Sakura, you're not busy?"

"I know! I wasn't expecting that, either. Where're Shikamaru and Chouji?"

"Shikamaru's playing shogi with Asuma-sensei again – he's so addicted to it nowadays. Chouji's making lunch for the both of them. Did I ever tell you that he's really good at cooking?")

Shizune sat and listened to them talk, occasionally joining in and answering questions herself. She alluded to things to come, and decided that Tsunade wouldn't mind if she brought Ino along.

("Hey, Shizune, where's Ton-Ton?"

"She felt like staying with Tsunade-sama today. I'm not going to force her to go anywhere she doesn't want to. Sakura, what day is it today?"

"Um, Tuesday. Why do you ask?"

"Just making sure. I feel a little out of it today."

"Ugh, tell me about it."

"But when _aren't_ you out of it, Ino-pig?")

When things started to feel a little slow, Shizune decided that she might try something to get things going. She didn't expect it to work.

("Hey, Sakura, do you want a new haircut?"

"Well, that's actually not a bad idea. Short hair _is_ much easier to take care of. Where should I go, though?"

"I'm sure that either Ino or I can do it."

"As long as Ino cuts hair better than you…"

"Sakura, what are you implying?")

It was a peculiar feeling, walking around with two girls less than half her age. It was een stranger that she seemed to relate to them easily, or talk easily about a few things that she normally brought up only when around Tsunade. It was like they were all good friends, the three of them. However, Shizune did see something stronger between Ino and Sakura – a freedom of expression shared only by them. Their expressions, their gestures – everything held some sort of intimacy that was subdued, yet blatant at the same time.

But sometimes they'd turn and look at her, and Shizune felt that she was a part of it, too. She remembered what Ino said a year and a half ago – "our Sakura" – and wondered if that had been intentional.

It would be easy to miss being that age.

The day passed on as if it was nothing. It seemed to Shizune that one moment, the three of them had just left the ramen shop; the next, Ton-Ton was waiting for them outside the Yamanaka household, where Sakura was still self-consciously stroking her cropped hair.

("Nightfall already?"

"Time flies by when you're having fun, I guess. Now, follow Ton-Ton, Sakura – she has something to show us.")

Shizune hadn't been planning for something truly breathtaking to happen in the stead of monotony. In all honesty, she was looking forward to what Tsunade could do; she was lazy, yes, but when she wanted to produce something great, she absolutely shone.

It just wouldn't happen today.

The three followed Ton-Ton to the entrance of the Hokage's office. The doors burst open.

Amidst an area of poorly hung streamers, Tsunade sat at her desk, pouring a cup of sake. A lottery ticket lay in front of her. She looked up from her activities – "Oh, hello!" – put the sake bottle in its upright position, and resumed working on a nearby scratching ticket.

There was a silence.

"Um, Tsunade-sama," Shizune ventured, "you spent a lot of time working on this?"

"Not exactly," Tsunade admitted. "Not only was the paperwork stifling, but I had to deal with some Sand diplomats throughout the day, too. This is all very last-minute, actually. And I see you brought a friend – Ino, right?"

Ino nodded. "That's right, Hokage-sama."

Shizune rubbed her temples. Sakura shifted uneasily. "So, what's this supposed to be all about, anyway?"

"Your second anniversary," Tsunade beamed. "In celebration of you being with us for two years, we decided to hold a little party."

"It was _supposed_ to be a party," Shizune grumbled.

"Hey, it still can be! Just because it's not fancy doesn't mean it can't be fun."

Ino, who had been wandering around the office, stopped and examined a box sitting on a corner table. She took the lid off and found that it was cake. "This looks like something Chouji would make."

Sakura came over, dipped a finger in the frosting, brought it up to her lips, and licked it off. "It tastes really good. Thanks for getting this, Tsunade-sama!"

"Dammit, lost again – oh, don't mention it!" Tsunade tossed her scratching itcket in the trash and rose from her chair. "We were all very excited to put this together."

"Two years with them, and you're still alive? I'm impressed, Sakura-chan," Ino teased, poking Sakura's forehead. Sakura cringed and swatted playfully at the intruding hand, but didn't protest when Ino threw her arms around her except for a meek, "Ino, you're heavy."

Shizune lowered herself into a chair against the wall, stunned. She cleared her throat. "So, any chance of getting this on the road?"

"Of course!" Tsunade had taken a knife out of a drawer in her desk and was now cutting the cake. "There are presents over there –" she gestured to a pile of packages that Shizune previously had not seen – "and Icha Icha Violence is going to be on soon, but you have to wait until I see the lottery numbers first."

"Tsunade-sama, they're not enough to watch _that_!" Shizune cried.

"I've seen it," Ino huffed loudly from where she was hugging Sakura. Sakura paled and whispered in Ino's ear; Ino snickered and said, "Well, I don't think she'll mind, since she's the one who suggested it in the first place."

"Fifteen, eighteen – a kunoichi would typically see everything before then, anyway," Tsunade dismissed. "Right, Shizune?"

Shizune couldn't protest.

"How bad is it, anyway?" Sakura asked.

"You've seen worse," Ino assured her.

"And while we're on that note," Tsunade continued, "I have a large bottle of fine sake that hasn't been opened yet. Would you like to try some, Sakura?"

"Well…" she began, "I'll have a sip, if that's all right with you…"

"I'll take some," Ino piped up, "but only a little. You assigned us a mission for tomorrow, remember?"

"And you, Shizune?" Tsunade inquired.

Shizune looked up. Everybody else was staring at her intently. She leaned back, looked at the ceiling, breathed in, and looked back. "Only on these conditions," she replied.

"Oh?" Tsunade asked, hand on her hip.

"One," she began, "what is said in here, stays here. Two: if by some twist of chance we end up playing childish slumber party games, stay away from Truth or Dare. Though if Tsunade-sama or Sakura lie when they're not supposed to, I'll be more than happy to fill you in on the details, depending on the content. Three: Ino, please keep Sakura's new make-up away from me. Finally: I will be the one to wake you up should any of you fall asleep here. This includes drunken stupors. Do not think that I won't kick you out."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Kicking me out of my own office, Shizune?"

Shizune looked directly at her. "I've done it before. What'll stop me this time?"

Tsunade chuckled and opened the bottle, pouring a cup and offering it to thin air. Both Sakura and Shizune reached for it at the same time; once they made hand contact, they pulled away and offered it to the other. Sakura couldn't help but take it; when Tsunade was about to pour a cup for Shizune, the lottery numbers came on, and she abandoned her food post to compare her own numbers.

Ino grinned at Shizune. "So, you're stuck doing food duty, right?"

Shizune shrugged. "I guess," she answered, serving Ino a slice of cake; but as the room erupted into chaos ("Damn, not again!") she realized that she had begun to laugh.

"Shizune, what _is_ this? I don't think I've ever seen anything like it in my entire life…"

She hadn't done that in aeons.


End file.
